That's One Thing We've Got
by Meum Cerebrum Nocet
Summary: "James Potter, why would I ever want to go out with you?" she asked incredulously. "Breakfast at Tiffany's," he stated simply, before turning and leaving...


_**Summary:**_ _"James Potter, why would I ever want to go out with you?" she asked incredulously. "Breakfast at Tiffany's," he stated simply, before turning and leaving…_

 _ **A/N:**_ _Quick, cute little oneshot inspired by the Deep Blue Something song Breakfast at Tiffany's._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I own no recognizable content._

* * *

 **That's One Thing We've Got**

* * *

 _You'll say we've got nothin' in common_

 _No common ground to start from…_

 _And I said, what about Breakfast at Tiffany's_

 _She said, I think I remember the film_

 _And as I recall, I think we both kind o' liked it_

 _And I said, well that's one thing we've got_

 _~Deep Blue Something, Breakfast at Tiffany's_

* * *

The hallways filled almost as soon as the last classes ended for the day. Lily normally attempted to avoid the Friday afternoon craziness as students tried to begin their weekends. She'd take an extra long time packing up her notes and quills, or ask the professor a question about what had been covered in that class. In general, Lily lagged behind and allowed the halls to empty some.

That particular Friday, however, a rather large hitch occurred in her normal routine. That hitch, none other than James Potter. Normally, James and his best friend Sirius Black were some of the first out the door at the end of class each day. This meant that James, who had been obsessed with her since the end of the second year, had not discovered the prime opportunity to be almost alone with her each day. However, since the start of the seventh year a few months prior, James had begun to hand around after last class as well.

Lily was pretty sure it had started innocently enough, with Remus wanting to clarify something Professor McGonagall had said about Anamagi in class that day. For some reason, the rest of the group of Gryffindor boys decided to stay. Luckily for Lily, they seemed too preoccupied with some joke and did not acknowledge her. She quickly slipped out of the room, hoping she'd gone unnoticed. However, it seemed that hadn't been the case.'

Sporadically at first, but then more and more consistently, James began handing back after class. He'd yet to interact with her, which Lily found strange, but she didn't want to question it too much for fear it would change his behaviour and he _would_ start talking to her.

It wasn't that Lily didn't want to talk to him. In fact, when James wasn't blustering or picking on others, she found him quite an enjoyable conversationalist. The problem was that there were very few moments when he wasn't trying to show off and acting like he was the most important person at Hogwarts.

On that particular Friday, Lily once again found herself with James in the rapidly emptying classroom. She was playing a potentially dangerous game, attempting to wait out the crowds in the halls but not wait too long that James Potter finally acknowledged her. It had been a game she had been winning so far.

That afternoon, her luck run out.

It started when she moved too quickly while putting away her notes and knocked her small inkpot over her meticulously taken notes for the class that day. She swore under her breath at the mild disaster that had just occurred and then pulled her want out, muttered on evansco charm, and siphoned the ink of the page.

But it was too late. The damage had already been done. She'd created a scene and James Potter was leisurely approaching her. Once again, Lily swore under her breath. She picked up her pace in packing up her things, but was also worried about causing more damage to her belongings.

"Everything alright, Evans?" James Potter asked. Lily had not moved quickly enough. For his part, though, James seemed in a more accommodating mood than he normally was, no blustering or anything.

"I'm fine, James. Just spilt a bit of ink on my notes, but it's fine now. Thanks for your concern." Lily smiled up at him reassuringly. She quickly regretted it. Her smile seemed to trigger something in James. In an instant, the nice, decent James morphed in to the bigheaded prat who'd hung Severus up by his legs and threatened to take off his pants.

"Say, Evans," James began, a devilish glint in his eye, "there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon, isn't there?" He asked it in such an innocent way that, if Lily hadn't known him better, she would have truly believed he was asking her. Lily knew better.

"I can't remember, James. We did post a notice about it in each common room. You should check there to make sure." She wasn't about to play his game and get sucked down into whatever it was James wanted.

"Thank you for that advice, Lily. I will do that. Either way, would you be gracious enough as to accompany me to Hogsmeade the next opportunity we have to do so?" Lily had to admit that over the years James' date proposals had gotten more and more elegant.

"James," Lily spoke, her voice not displaying any of the annoyance she felt but instead coming out light and airy. "You've been asking me variations of that question for four years now, and I have yet to give you any answer but no. why do you keep asking it, even when you know it's so pointless?" She put her hands on her hips, cocked her head, and stared at him questioningly.

James didn't miss a beat and simply smiled down at her.

"Because, I have faith that one day you will say yes to the question I've been asking you for four years." Lily stared up at him, disbelieving.

"James Potter, why would I ever want to go out with you?" she asked incredulously. She couldn't believe how assured he sounded about the whole situation.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's," he stated simply before turning and leaving. Lily was much too confused by the odd non-answer to react immediately. Before she was once again able to do something, James had disappeared into the hectic crowd in the hallway.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily called after James, but her voice was lost to the crowd.

* * *

"Earth to Lily," a cheery voice called. It sounded far off to Lily, and she had to focus to hear it. She worked her brain hard, turning it from the question she'd been mulling over for some time. Finally, Lily dug herself out of her thoughts and returned to reality. When the library and its details materialized before her eyes, Lily jumped back in surprise.

"When did you get here, Mar?" Lily asked her blonde bubbly friend sitting across the small library table. Lily had headed up to the library after her strange encounter with James; she'd been alone at that time because her friends, along with most of the student body, had gone to the Great Hall for dinner. Now with Marlene sitting across from her, having neither seen nor heard her friend arrive, Lily wondered how long she'd been lost in thought.

"About five minutes ago. I'd been having a whole nice conversation with you about the crazy thing Linny Babbot did in Divination today and the amazing roast the elves made for dinner before I realised you weren't even listening. Imagine my embarrassment!" Marlene's faux-scandalized tone and over dramatic hand gestures as she spoke made Lily chuckle slightly. Her friend always had to be over the top about everything.

"Sorry, Mar," she apologized, mirth exuding from her tone, "I was thinking about… something." Lily had meant to say James, but thought better of it. For the better part of a year and a half, Marlene had gotten it into her head that James was absolutely perfect for Lily and would eagerly latch on to the fact that Lily had been so distracted by her thoughts of James she hadn't realised her best friend for a full five minutes. So, at the last moment, she changed her mind and, as a result, ended her apology quite lamely.

Marlene gave Lily a knowing smile.

"This 'something' wouldn't happen to have medium length, perpetually messy hair and glasses shielding deep, soulful brown eyes, would it? Because, if that's the case, I can totally forgive you for ignoring me and making me look ridiculous. But, if you were thinking of something like, like Arthimancy, then I won't be talking to you for at least a week! Maybe even longer!" Lily scoffed at her friend, knowing what she said about not talking was completely false and simply in tune with her flare for the dramatic.

"He just said the strangest thing to me and I can't figure out what it means. It's driving me crazy! James is not cryptic or mysterious. I've always been able to read him like a book, he's so bloody open! But now, all of a sudden, he's decided to be mysterious? I mean-!" Lily's frustration spilled out, her words tumbling from her mouth. Marlene just chuckled at her.

"I've always told you there's more to James Potter than he lets you and the rest of Hogwarts see. He's got layers! I'm telling you!" Marlene then stood from the table. "Well, I've got to go see a strikingly handsome man about some snogging. See you later!" Marlene then sauntered out of the library.

Lily threw her head down in frustration. What did her friend know that she didn't? Why hadn't Marlene been less cryptic and offered Lily real help?

Suddenly, the dark red haired girl stood from the table and began throwing her things into her bag. She needed answers and there was only one place she knew she would get them.

* * *

She found him sprawled out on a couch in the Gryffindor common room, his friends in a similar state all around him. Not wanting to have a confrontation in the middle of the common room, an environment much more comfortable for James than herself, she tried to catch his eye without arousing the attentions of the other three. Lily was no shrinking violet, but she also didn't seek out spotlight like James did. Lily would rather discuss things with James in private than in the public theater of the common room.

"You alright there, Evans?" Sirius asked, "You've got some sort of twitch or something. You might want to get that checked out." Lily turned bright red and nearly gave up trying to confront James in her embarrassment. But then she locked eyes with the messy haired seventeen-year-old and her resolve returned.

"I was trying to get James' attention. I want to talk with him about a comment he made me earlier. I just didn't want to disturb the rest of you' you looked like you were having a very good time." Lily tried to calm her blush reflex but her fair skin, a rather unpleasant feature associated with her red hair, betrayed her. Her cheeks continued to dark with the blood of embarrassment.

"Oh, really?" Sirius responded, turning to look at James with a very impish grin. In return, James lightly shoved his friend in the shoulder and then stood from his spot.

"After you, Evans," he said, his voice filled with gentlemanly chivalry. As well, he made a motion towards the portrait hole, insinuating that she should head that way and he would follow. Grateful to leave the increasingly embarrassing situation –for her- she quickly scampered out the opening. She continued down the hallway for a short distance to avoid Gryffindors leaving or entering.

"What can I do for you?" James asked once he'd come to rest beside her. She took a deep breath and then began.

"This afternoon, when we were talking after everyone had left class, and you asked me out for the hundredth time, you said something peculiar. After I'd asked you why you'd thought I'd go out with you even after turning you down so many times before you simply said 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' Now I've spent the better part of the evening trying to puzzle it out and I cannot figure out what you meant. So, I have come to you to ask, what did you mean by Breakfast at Tiffany's?"

James smirked his trademark smirk that always led to irritation and anger for Lily. Upon seeing it, she steeled herself for what was to come next.

"Do you remember," he began, his tone innocent. Lily didn't drop her guard. "Back in fifth year when we were studying muggle popular culture in Muggle Studies? We spent a month watching what Professor Smith-Walden deemed 'classics'? One of the last classes of that particular session, we watched the film Breakfast at Tiffany's?" James paused for Lily's response to his questions about her memories of the events.

"Yes, I remember watching Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's one of my favourites. I remember pretty much every time I've seen it." Lily's tone was apprehensive, unsure of where he was going with everything.

"I remember your love for the film. When we discussed it in class your face lit up. That gave me confidence that, one day, I'd be able to win you over." He smiled down at her; her anger flared.

"But how?! How did you know? What exactly gave you the confidence?"

"Because the way your face lit up when you were talking about the movie was the same way I felt about it. I'd never seen a muggle film until those classes, but I can say Breakfast at Tiffany's was not something I was expecting to enjoy. So when I did, and I could see how much you enjoyed it, that gave me confidence. It was finally something concrete we had in common. I believe that it's only a start and, with time, we'll find more and more things that we share. Eventually, you will begin to find me irresistible and say yes when I ask you out."

Lily was stunned. Of all the possible explanations Lily hadn't been expecting that. She couldn't believe she shared something with James and that that sole shared interest had been enough to give him the confidence to continue to pursue her for a year and a half.

"If that's all," James continued when it became obvious Lily had nothing to say, "I'd like to return to the common room. I think we're really close to convincing Peter to ask out Linny Babbot and I do not want to miss that."

"Yeah, do on. That's it." Lily's voice was small and dazed. Hearing it, James hesitated for a moment, obviously wanting to ensure her well-being. she saved him away, giving him a reassuring look, and he quickly headed back to the common room. As Lily watched him go, she wondered to herself if James was right.

Was a joint love of Breakfast at Tiffany's a common ground from which an actual relationship started from? Could there be more things they had in common? Could she eventually fall for James Potter?

"No," she muttered under her breath, "I could never fall for the great prat that is James Potter."

* * *

 _The End_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _First off, I know muggle technology isn't supposed to work at Hogwarts but let's pretend that the wizards have a way to watch movies. Second, Lily's friend Marlene is Marlene McKinnon. Third, let me know what you thought!_


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